The JAL president, who joined the company as a cabin attendant in the year of the crash, observed a moment of silence at her first large-scale ceremony since taking office. Forty-one years after the accident, extremely few current employees had joined the company at the time, making the passing on of the company’s safety culture and its response to misconduct key challenges.
A memorial service for the Japan Airlines jumbo jet crash was held at the Memorial Garden in Ueno Village, Gunma Prefecture. At 6:56 p.m., the time of the crash, JAL President Tottori Mitsuko (鳥取三津子) and others observed a moment of silence. On the 41st anniversary of the accident, the president attended the memorial and reiterated her commitment to passing on the memory of the accident and its lessons.
The 2 current JAL employees who had joined the company at the time of the accident account for 0.01% of the total, and how to pass on the memory of the accident within the organization is considered a challenge. JAL President Tottori Mitsuko (鳥取三津子) joined the predecessor of JAL, Toa Domestic Airlines, as a cabin attendant in 1985 and became JAL’s president in 2024, the first person from a cabin-attendant background to hold the position.
In recent years, JAL has experienced a series of drinking incidents involving pilots and cabin attendants. In May this year, 2 cabin attendants who were due to work domestic flights drank at their accommodation, delaying their departure. In 2024, a male captain and others operated flights after concealing their drinking, leading to administrative guidance and a recommendation to improve operations.
JAL President Tottori Mitsuko (鳥取三津子) apologized for the misconduct and said that every employee in the JAL Group should act as an individual responsible for building a culture of safety. Future developments in measures to prevent a recurrence will be closely watched.